ABBA, a best-selling pop group and fan favourite from the 1970s, is back. The Swedish group formed in 1972 – about 46 years ago – by Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, has not put out any new music since 1983. But to end the 35-year long hiatus, the group is dropping two original songs this December, including one titled “I Still Have Faith in You” which will feature in a BBC TV Special.
This announcement rounds the year off nicely for the Mamma Mia creators and fans alike, after the summer release of Mamma Mia! Here we go again! – a musical romantic comedy based on the group’s songs.
Following ABBA’s popularity, and the aforementioned return to the public, many users of betting sites such as Betway, are willing to bet on a famous reunion. There have been comments about ABBA being on the top of the UK charts by Christmas, and even headlining at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival.
In honour of ABBA’S comeback, we’re going through all their singles and albums released during their active years, along with their 1992 greatest hits album.
Singles
At 9 No. 1 singles, ABBA achieved the highest number of singles for any non-British group.
Waterloo – their debut single – topped the charts after it was Sweden’s winning entry in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
The group’s best-selling single is Dancing Queen. It spent six weeks at the top of the UK chart, selling over one million copies. The song also topped worldwide charts, becoming their first and only No. 1 hit in the States.
Albums
Between 1974 and 1983, ABBA released 11 – seven studio and four compilation – albums. Eight of the albums reached No. 1 on the UK Charts.
Gold – Greatest Hits, their best-selling album, was released in 1992.
Having over 5.3m copies sold, Gold is also the UK’s second-biggest selling album of all time. It is also UK’s best-selling CD of all time with over 3.5m of the sales being CDs.
Singers
Agnetha sang lead vocals on nine of the 25 singles, the highest of any member. However, of the nine, only one – The Winner Takes It All – made it to No. 1.
Agnetha and Anni-Frid shared lead vocals on eight singles, with five of them – including Dancing Queen – reaching the No. 1 spot.
Anna-Frid sang lead vocals on five of the group’s singles. Three of them – Knowing Me, Knowing You, Super Trouper and Fernando – went on to No. 1, and are the band’s second, third and fourth-biggest selling singles respectively.
Benny and Bjorn, who co-wrote every ABBA single, sang lead vocals on just one song, the non-album single Summer Night City, with Bjorn singing the lead vocals on Does Your Mother Know.
Subject
Of ABBA’S 25 singles, nine of them are about love, the group’s most popular subject. Waterloo, Mamma Mia, The Name of the Game, Take a Chance on Me and Super Trouper reached the No. 1 spot, with Super Trouper being the group’s last chart-topper.
Four of the group’s songs are about its next most popular subject, lust. Although none of those reached the top spot, both Voulez-Vouz and Gimme, Gimme peaked at three.
Three of their singles are about heartbreak, including ‘Britain’s Favourite Break-Up Song of 2006’, The Winner Takes It All.
The rest of the singles are about music, friendship, loneliness, hope and money.
